The ability to use the Linux command line to solve various problems is highly sought after in IT. Linus Torvalds' operating system is widely used in a wide range of IT fields. Today, we'll cover how to work with tar archives . This knowledge is included in the Linux operating system lecture course in Kaunas. This knowledge will be useful for finding a job and solving real-world production problems.
What functions does the tar command perform, Linux operating system lecture course Kaunas
It's worth noting that tar is the standard tool for working with archives in UNIX-like operating systems . The tar utility (from " Tape Archive ") is a program for creating archives. Initially, magnetic tape was intended as the storage medium for these archives. However, to this day, the utility remains one of the essential tools for system administrators. For more information on the history of software development and use, check out the Kaunas Linux security course.
At the same time, in line with the philosophy of UNIX software , tar is designed to perform a single function: compressing and uncompressing archives, as well as all operations required during the process. Archivers for Microsoft Windows typically offer the user the option of compression in one format or another. Of course, data compression can be applied in Linux, but the tar command uses a third-party utility of the user's choosing.
It's worth noting that it's common practice to add the *.tar extension to the name of the file or directory being archived . Of course, even without this extension, an archive remains an archive. However, it helps users recognize at a glance that they are actually looking at an archive. Therefore, this approach is considered good form among Linux enthusiasts and specialists. For more information on best practices for system administration in 2023, check out the Linux torrent Kaunas courses , which are available to everyone in Lithuania on the SEDICOMM University platform.
Useful options of the tar utility in Linux and other UNIX-like OS
The success of any command-line utility depends directly on how well the user understands its functionality and which options to use to achieve the desired goal. A beginner should start by mastering the following tar command options in Linux :
- -c — option responsible for creating an archive (cannot be used simultaneously with -x);
- -f — an option that must be specified before the file name used as a command argument;
- -r — a parameter that allows you to add a new file or directory at the end of an existing archive;
- -t — allows you to see a list of the archive contents without unpacking it;
- -v — enables verbose mode, which outputs a report on each operation to the command line;
- -x — extracts data from an archive to a specified location in the file system (cannot be used with -c).
The command syntax is as follows: tar <options> <first argument> <second and subsequent arguments> . Let's say you need to create an archive files.tar that includes files file0 , file1 , and file2 . In this case, enter the command tar -cvf files.tar file0 file1 file2 at the command line.
To unpack such an archive into the current folder, enter the following command in the command line: tar -xvf files.tar . The -v parameter will display a list of files being extracted (or, in the previous example, compressed). This knowledge will be more than sufficient for a basic introduction to the utility. To improve your system administration skills, we recommend taking the Linux online courses in Kaunas.
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